A Stone's Throw Away
by Fluttering Phalanges
Summary: When work becomes scarce in Macon, Georgia, Daryl Dixon must move his family to the outer limits of Walnut Grove, Minnesota. Along with his wife, Beth, and their three daughters: Lizzie, Mika, and Baby Judith, the family must learn to cope with the ways of survival in their new home. A land of wild animals, migrating settlers, and Native Americans.


**I wanted to start writing this because I thought it would be fun! I hope you enjoy the prologue! **

Prologue:

For the first time in months, the frost began to melt away from the earth. And with its departure, came the small flowers and other various plants that called the cooler climate of Minnesota their home. Daryl Dixon was still getting used to the varying temperatures of the west. Having grown up in Georgia, a state of mild winters and hot summers, the frigid weather of his new home was rather foreign to him. But the promise of land and a job made the journey worthwhile. And so, with his wife-who had been pregnant at the time-and his two young daughters, they made the journey away from their previous residence in Macon County and to the unknown world that was Walnut Grove.

It was still dark out when Daryl began to rouse from the few hours of sleep he had gotten the night before. He yawned, shifting underneath the blankets as he tossed an arm gently around his wife's waist. There came a muffled laugh, the figure at his side turning to face him in what little light leaked in from the starlit sky. Daryl gingerly brushed a lock of his spouse's blonde hair from her face, peering at her through the shadowed room.

"Mornin'," he muttered.

"Mornin'," she replied softly. "You're up early."

"Gotta get the livestock fed," the rancher replied, grunting as he pushed himself up into a seated position. "Movin' 'em back to the front field today. Sheriff's gonna come by with his boy to help."

"Carl?" Beth mused, her head resting on the man's chest. "Sheriff Grimes is pullin' him out of school today for that?"

"School only does so much," Daryl answered. "He's raisin' him up to be a good man."

"Don't let me hear you tellin' that to the girls," Beth smiled, her voice soft. "I want them to get a good education nevertheless."

Daryl snorted, lips curling into a thin smile as his wife snuggled closer. Exhaling, he glanced towards the end of the one room cabin, noting the two little beds and the cradle that sat against the wall. Underneath the woolen sheets, he could clearly make out the small bodies that belonged to his daughters. Lizzie, Mika, and Judith, so blessed had they been to have such healthy children despite the hardships they, as a family, had gone through.

"Should get to feedin' the animals," Daryl murmured, not really wanting to drag himself away from Beth and the warmth of the covers. "Gotta see if the cow is any closer to calfin' today. Ain't gonna be long now."

"You promised Lizzie she could help when the time comes," Beth stated. "She's at that age now."

"Yep," Daryl agreed, wincing as he stretched his weary muscles. "Suppose I better keep that promise, shouldn't I?"

Relenting to his duties, the rancher pulled himself from the bed. Clothes already laid out on a chair nearby, he proceeded to dress, peering every so often at the set of beds opposite to him. Grabbing his lantern, he readied to exit out into the dark, cold morning that was the day when a soft sound came from a few feet away. He turned, seeing a pair of eyes watching him from underneath a layer of blankets.

"Pa?"

Lizzie. The eight year old watched her father with a look of exhaustion and curiosity. Daryl offered her a small smile as he went to her side, kneeling down carefully as not to disturb Judith or Mika. Lizzie stared up at him expectantly, her long blonde hair in disarray from the long night of slumber. Slowly, she sat up, eyes flickering over to her mother as Beth rose from the bed, preparing herself to make breakfast.

"Hey, kid," he greeted. "Wanna help your old man out with feedin' this morning'? I'll let you collect the eggs."

"Okay," Lizzie nodded, yawning as she rose from the bed. "I'll help you."

"Good," Daryl smiled. "I was hopin' to have a partner."

Beth watched quietly as her husband helped their eldest slip into some warmer clothes, her nightgown carefully tucked underneath a layer of jackets and a scarf. Despite the approaching spring, the weather was still very much cold. A small crossed her features as Lizzie's hand slipped into her fathers, fingers intertwining with his own as they headed towards the door and out into the dimly lit dawn of the morning.

**Short, I know, but I promise that the chapters will be a lot longer. Feedback is greatly loved and appreciated. Let me know your thoughts. Also I may consider having this story become "M" if people want some love making scenes. Until next update, folks! -Jen**


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